Feeling Like Gilligan
by Something Greater
Summary: Sequel to Open Ye Textbooks. After a battle with the English Navy, Jack Sparrow is stranded on a deserted island, trying to reclaim the Black Pearl, Elizabeth is stabbed and Will tries to reclaim her.
1. Mutual Pain

_Prologue -- Where We Left Off_

_After Tia Dalma sent Will, Elizabeth, and Jack into the future, as high-schoolers, they were forced to each complete a task if they wished to return home. Jack had to defeat a 17- year- old Barbossa and his evil cronies. Will needed to fend off any unwanted girls (as in Scarlett, an obsessed freshman). Elizabeth, however, was forced to choose between the two men she loved: Will- who represented warmth, comfort, security, and safety, or Jack- who stood for broken rules, danger, spontaneity, and everything she could ever want but could never have. She let her heart decide for her and it chose Jack. Back in to the 17th century, Will has become heartbroken and has turned to drinking, convinced that no one loves him. Elizabeth wants to settle down and have a family, but Jack isn't ready and occupies himself with an upcoming battle with the Spanish Fleets and the English Navy._

* * *

Will was passed out in the middle of a small room, surrounded by empty rum bottles. A half- full one was still clutched in his right hand, tipped over so that it contents spilled out onto the wooden floor. Will had been drifting in and out of consciousness for the past week, getting up just long enough when he was awake to down some more alcohol. He was fine with being completely senseless for hours and even days at a time; it prevented him from thinking about his messed up life. 

If was hard to believe that barely a week ago he was engaged to Elizabeth and his world was perfect. Then Elizabeth had wanted Tia Dalma to show them the future- and they had ended up in the 21st century. His ex-fiancé had given him back her engagement ring after a silly fight they had had, but had never taken it back.

When Will thought about it, in the few precious moments when he was sober, he came to the conclusion that if he had been a better boyfriend to her then she would not have gotten mad, called off her wedding, and fallen for a pirate. It was these thoughts that always sent him back to the stacks of rum down below the decks.

When he wasn't brooding over what he could have done to fix things, he was wondering if the "love" between Jack and his new girlfriend was real; Jack had never seemed like the type of person to stay with a girl longer than to satisfy his wants. Will didn't see why Jack would start to actually fancy a girl now.

Will, still lying on the floor, began to stir. He rolled over onto his side and groaned as he massaged his aching temples. He had grown accustomed to these awful hangovers but they still troubled him greatly. He moaned as he forced himself into a seating position, then onto his feet.

He swayed unsteadily for a few moments before stumbling to the door of the tiny room he was in. He entered the deck of the ship to see groups of pirates huddled in clumps, playing cards and drinking. Will's irritation grew as he saw them laughing and having a good time, andcursed them for being so cheerful when he was so depressed.

He muttered something darkly under his breath as he grabbed a bottle of rum from a cabinet. He opened the bottle and was getting ready to head back to his room when he paused outside the Captain's Quarters. He tried the door, knowing that it would be locked. He shuddered at the thought of what Jack and Elizabeth might be doing in there. He took a swig of his rum and slumped off into his room to pass out in peace.

Jack, in fact, was not doing what Will thought he was doing, unless Will thought that he was thinking up a battle plan (which Will didn't think, but we won't go into what Will actually thought). Jack was concocting a plan in order to elude the Royal English Navy to get into International waters and capture some ships from the Spanish fleets, in hopes that they would surrender and give him back the Black Pearl, which they had stolen during Jack's two-day journey to the 21st century. In other words, Elizabeth was the last thing on his mind.

Captain Jack Sparrow had been having trouble with his new boat, the _Flipper, _which he had stolen from Port Royal recently. The officials over in England were not happy with him, needless to say. Jack had outrun their ships a dozen times in the last seven days, but didn't know if he could hold out much longer; the last run in had forced the officers to send a cannonball through he ship. The crew had fixed it up as best as they could but it was still letting on a little water.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was standing at the front of the ship, staring out at the water. It was windy and it made waves in the ocean, rocking the boat back and forth. Elizabeth was deep in thought.

_Who would have thought that I would have fallen in love with Jack, _she wondered. _But am I really in love with him? My heart says "yes" but I am torn. Does he even love me back? Jack is not the kind of person to have a lasting relationship. I want to get married, but he probably won't be up to that. Maybe I should ask him…_

She trailed off inside her head and decided that maybe she should let him know how she really felt. They hadn't had any romantic encounters since that single kiss in the auditorium at the high school. She touched her left hand, expecting to feel her engagement ring. She realized, with a sinking feeling, that she had so rudely given it back to Will.

Will…she wondered how he was doing; she hadn't seen him for almost a week, apart from the glances she caught of him rushing to the privy to throw up or going to get more rum. Since that night, they had distanced themselves. Or rather, Will had broken off all contact with the world and had resorted to drinking more in a week than Jack had done in a month.

Elizabeth stepped away from the edge of the boat and went to Will's room. She entered and held her breath against the nauseating smell of old rum, vomit, and urine (from when Will's bladder released itself when a bathroom was unavailable). Will was draped over the bed with an empty bottle of rum in his hand. Stubble darkened the lower half of his face and his hair was matted, giving him the appearance of a somewhat younger Captain Jack Sparrow.

Will walked over and brushed the hair out of his face. She removed the bottle of rum from his hand and tossed it to the floor. She stretched out his fingers and entangled her own in them. Seeing that Will didn't move, she slowly slid the engagement ring off his finger and stuffed it between the layers of the pirate garb she now donned. She quickly sifted through the rest of his things and found the ring that she had forced in his hand.

Kissing him quickly on the cheek (out of sheer sympathy), she turned and hurried from the room and to her own quarters (being a woman, she had to have her own space away from the rest of the crew). She wrapped the rings in a piece of cloth and hid it under her pillow.

From the upper deck, a call rang out; they were coming into port! Elizabeth grabbed a nearby cap and stuffed her hair into it as she went to join the crew members, excited at the prospect of reaching dry land.

Realizing that Captain Jack was not among the group, Elizabeth doubled back to get him. He was muttering darkly under his breath and mapping out a course of action. Elizabeth reached over and tapped him on his shoulder. Jack ignored her and kept pointing to different places, his head in his hands.

"What's wrong, baby?" Elizabeth asked in a low voice, very close to his ear.

"Hmmm?" the captain asked, distractedly. "I'm busy. Go away, Ana Maria."

Elizabeth, offended, stepped back. "I'm Elizabeth! How could you _possibly _forget my name!"

Jack, still caught up in his plans, waved her off. "Sorry, Scarlett. Anyone who calls me baby is all the same to old Sparrow here. Savvy?"

Tears in her eyes, Elizabeth fled from the room and into her own. She reached under her pillow and found the rings. Returning to the deck, she went to very edge, intending to fling the rings into the ocean, but stopped and collapsed on the ground, tears running freely down her face. She loved Jack; she thought he loved her back. Now she realized that what they'd had - what she'd thought they'd had- was nothing to him. She couldn't deal with it; her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

After a moment, she felt strong arms wrap around her and the distinctive smell of rum in the air. Her first thought was that it was Jack, but realized that it was actually Will, awake and with a hangover, but still comforting his ex-fiancé. She leaned into his shoulder and cried. Will, having held in his emotions for a week, let the tears fall down his cheeks and into her hair as he stroked it.


	2. A Battle Above

Will never felt complete unless Elizabeth was in his arms, depending on him. She hadn't hugged him like that since before their trip to the future, when she still loved him. Now they were together, but for how long? Soon she would be running back to Jack, throwing her arms around him, greeting him with a kiss.

Will forced these thoughts from his mind as he comforted Elizabeth, forcing himself to just enjoy the moment. When Elizabeth finished crying, Will turned her to face him. He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her honey-brown eyes. He did not want to get too close; his breath smelled like rum and, besides, Elizabeth had Jack; she didn't need Will anymore.

Elizabeth let Will wipe the tears from her face. She smiled sadly and reached up to wipe similar tears from his face. Will, confused out of his mind, decided to take a chance and brought his lips up to meet hers. Elizabeth was so upset and so weak that she didn't protest, but she didn't kiss back, either. Will, realizing this, pulled away and looked at her with sadness in his heart.

Elizabeth, unsure of what to think, got up silently and left. She slipped into her room and bolted the door shut. She lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, lost deep in thought. She knew that Will still had feelings for her, but did she still fancy him? She tossed this thought around a few times in her head before she finally drifted off to sleep.

Captain Jack Sparrow, meanwhile, was having thoughts of his own- on Elizabeth. He guessed that he had hurt her, but he didn't think that he had hurt her so much that she would turn back to her old love, Will. Jack, unable to concentrate on his map anymore, mulled things over. He sympathized and admitted to himself that she had a pretty good reason for being upset; he hadn't thought that her own name was important enough for him to bother recalling. And it sure didn't help that he had waved her off like she was nothing.

She was something, he knew. He had never been the one to find a girl and stick with her; he liked to keep his playing field open. _Elizabeth should be no different_, he thought to himself. But still, it had hurt a lot when he glanced out of the window of the Captain's Quarters and saw Elizabeth kissing Will. She had left after that, for reasons unknown to Jack.

_I am her heart's choice_, Jack thought to himself, but it didn't seem to help much. _I guess her heart has made another choice_.

Jack reached behind him and to a box of slightly wrinkled oranges that he had nicked from Tia Dalma's house, peeled one, and ate it. He had squeezed them, sucked them, and mixed them with rum, but he could still not re-create the delicious taste of orange soda that he had experienced in the 21st century.

Feeling like he needed to let out some steam, he grabbed a pistol from his dresser and went to find the undead monkey.

Will, instinctively, reached for a bottle of rum, then sighed, pulling his hand back. He brought himself up and went to wash his face in the basin of water near the privy. He splashed water in his face and stared at his reflection in the tub. He'd hated who he'd become. His hair was tangled and his eyes were bloodshot. He sniffed himself and detected the rank stench of rum and vomit.

Realizing that he had to make several changes in his life if he ever wanted Elizabeth back, he bent over the basin and washed his hair. When he was finished, he grabbed his shiv (a small knife) and cut his hair to a reasonable length and combed it to a presentable state. He turned the knife blade at an angle and shaved. Making sure no one was around, he stripped down and scrubbed himself clean, then changed into clean clothes.

Looking good and smelling fine, he was set to find Elizabeth until he realized that his breath was still disgusting. He crawled around the cabins a bit, before finally locating a single piece of gritty soap. He got it to a lather and ran some of it over his teeth and tongue, gagging. He rinsed and spit off the side of the deck and into the water below.

Screwing up all his courage, he knocked on Elizabeth's bedroom door. There was no answer; he knocked again, more furiously this time. A groggy voice answered, "Go away; I'm asleep."

"I know that you are not, Ms. Swann," Will replied. A groan was heard, then the shuffle of feet and the unbolting of a latch and Will was met by a very red-eyed Elizabeth.

She looked uncomfortable. She was about to ask him to leave, when Will piped up, "We need to talk, Ms. Swann."

"Please," she beckoned him inside with a small wave of her hand. "And call me Elizabeth, Will."

Will stepped smartly into the room. "No, under the circumstances, I think it is best that I call you Ms. Swann, and that you refer to me by my surname as well."

Elizabeth, slightly taken aback, gave a small nod. "As you wish, Will- I mean, Mr. Turner."

"I just want to say," Will thought about his words carefully as he said them. "That I completely respect your decision to choose Jack over me, as I only want you to be happy, Ms. Swann. I hope you two will be very happy together, and I wish you the best of luck." He forced a smile and turned briskly on his heel to leave. "Oh, and one more thing, Ms. Swann." He pulled out the cloth wrapped around the rings that he had found outside. "I see that you removed the rings. As is best, I suppose, but they did hold such fine memories." He tossed them to her and left.

Elizabeth slid them under her pillow as she went to find something for dinner.

* * *

The pirates returned happily with stomachs full of food and rum. They had brought some back with them, of course, and Elizabeth had managed to mooch some delicious beef and a couple of pieces of bread off of some of them. Will, after being offered some ale, made sure to refuse it altogether and instead eat some hard biscuits.

After a week of continuous drinking, Will found that he couldn't just stop cold turkey, so he took a sip here and a sip there, just enough to make his migraines go away. He woke up sweating and screaming in the middle of the night with pounding headaches. He often had to rush to an empty bucket to throw up, or to the basin of water to splash himself in the face and wipe his brow.

Elizabeth was pleased at the sudden change in Will's attitude, apart from the fact that he insisting on calling her Ms. Swann.

A couple of nights after the stop at the port, Elizabeth bolted straight up in bed, awakened by the sound of men and guns on the main deck. Someone pounded on the door, begging her to get up but to stay in her room and out of the way of the battle, unless the ship was sinking, when it would be proper for her to leave.

Elizabeth rushed around, grabbing her belongings and throwing them into a chest, in case they were forced to abandon ship. She pulled on her pirates garb and threw the door open, where she was met by a very worried looking Will Turner.

"Please, Ms. Swann. You must stay here. It's for your own good," he pleaded.

"Not bloody likely," Elizabeth stuffed her hair inside her hat, grabbed a sword, and went to join the battle.

Captain Jack Sparrow was quite occupied with two English Navy officers who were trying to get him in chains. He kneed one of them in the gut and flipped over the other, grinning as he stepped backward. "Sorry, mate. Captain Jack Sparrow don't do chains."

He sprinted away, thinking he was free. He met Gibbs and barked orders at him, telling him to take the ship if he could; sink it if he must.

"Aye, sir," Gibbs rushed off.

For some reason, the officers seemed intent of getting Jack in handcuffs. Jack evaded them as much as he could, getting smoke in his eyes from the cannon blasts, slipping on the bloody deck.

Jack tripped over the dead body of one of his crewmates (impaled with his own sword). Jack removed the cutlass from the corpse and brandished it at his aggressors. Thinking quickly, one of them kicked Jack directly between the legs. The Captain gasped and collapsed to the ground, remembering that he had used that same technique on a man named Nott when he was in the 21st century.

One of the Englishmen grabbed Jack and pinned his arms behind his back. Jack heard the _clink!_ sound he had heard so many times before. He grimaced; they had finally gotten Jack Sparrow in chains.

On of the younger men turned to the obvious leader of their group and asked, "Should we take him back or toss him in the boat?"

The other Englishman's upper lip curled. "Seeing as this is Jack Sparrow-"

"_Captain _Jack Sparrow," Jack interrupted angrily. "And what do you say I give you an orange and we call it even. Eh, mates?" He raised his eyebrows, attempting to buy himself a bit of time.

"Throw him in the boat," the Navy officer said, and Jack found himself being lifted up tossed in a small rowboat with no oars. Beside him, a small stack of explosives sat.

"Oh Bugger," he whispered under his breath.

Elizabeth stopped dueling with a sailor long enough to gaze out at the water and see one of the older officers push it out and toss a lit match into the boat.


	3. Deja Vu

The lit match rolled around on the floor a bit as Jack's boat was pushed out into the ocean. The match caught fire to the boat, which wasn't too bad, as long as it didn't light the explosives sitting behind Jack. Jack hit one of the looser boards with the metal of his shackles. He broke it loose and dived overboard, his heart pounding. He gripped the board and kicked with his legs as quickly as he could, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the explosives.

The match finally caught the bombs; the boat exploded and burst into flames. Jack was thrown backwards and under the water by the force, clinging to the board for dear life. The flames whipped him in the face and scorched his hands; still he would not let go. When he surfaced above water, he found that the heat had melted the metal of the chains just enough for Jack to break out of them.

Jack managed to take hold of some scorched boards that had flown from the exploding boat. He ripped a piece of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it tightly around the boards, making a sort of small raft. He pulled himself up.

"Captain Jack Sparrow has done it again!" he chuckled to himself. He took off his three-pointed hat and filled it with water. He gagged on it, remembering the water was full of salt.

"Bloody awful, that," he flipped over on his stomach and gazed back at the battle on his ship. The Navy officers seemed intent on taking back the _Flipper, _but it didn't look as if Jack's crew was going down without a fight. Having no oar, he knew he couldn't go back to his ship; his best bet was to drift out here for a while and hope that they would notice his absence and come looking for him. He lay on his back with his hat over his face; all he had to do now was wait.

Soon, he had drifted off into a deep sleep.

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The battle was over; the Englishmen had retreated. Everyone celebrated this as a victory, except for Elizabeth. She knew the reason for the English Navy's retreat; they had killed Captain Jack Sparrow.

Around her, the other crewmembers were singing, dancing, and drinking, but Elizabeth would not join in. She walked over to the edge of the boat and looked out at the water, hardly daring to believe that Captain Jack was really gone. She had seen the ship explode: a great ball of fire and flames, but she refused to believe it.

"What's wrong?" a drunk crewmember asked, putting his arm around her slyly.

Elizabeth was sobbing too hard to push him off. Will came in and removed the drunk's creeping arm. "Leave her alone, if you will!" The drunk grumbled under his breath and walked off.

"What's wrong?" Will stood next to her.

Elizabeth pointed a shaky finger at the remains of the flaming boat and whispered, "Jack."

Will let her lean on him and cry. Elizabeth began to stammer, "Jack…in a boat…bombs…explosion…Jack is dead!" Tears ran freely down her cheeks and she burrowed her face deeper into Will's shirt.

Will knew he would hate himself later, but if Jack was really gone, then he might have a shot with Elizabeth. He stroked her hair as she rested against his body. Will gave a tiny smile.

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Jack awoke several hours later, still on his raft. Confused, he turned back in the direction of his ship, then realized that he couldn't find it. He turned around a few times, but all he could see was open water. He squinted into the distance, hoping for a glimpse of the _Flipper _, but found none.

Captain Jack Sparrow sighed. He figured that he would have to float adrift for a while, until a passing ship picked him up. He stuck his hat in the water and skimmed it along. He brought it to his lips and sucked down the water. It quenched his thirst, but it was still salty and dirty. Jack refilled it and again slurped down the water. He sat up and gagged, choking on the water and the little fish that he had caught in his hat.

Jack groaned and wiped the sweat from his forehand. He swung his feet around so that they hung in the water. A fish tried to bite his toes, but Jack reached in and grabbed it. It struggled for a bit before Jack finally surrendered and tossed it back, calling, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow and don't ye forget it, mate!"

It was dreadfully hot, so Jack stripped out of a few of his clothes, piling them up at the foot of the raft. The raft was no longer than five feet in length and four feet across, and held together by strips of Jack's clothes. It was a little uncomfortable, but Jack made do.

As he floated, he thought about what was going on at the ship. Maybe no one noticed that he was gone; perhaps no one had seen the explosion. Jack eventually came to the conclusion that they hadn't and that they were all singing and dancing and making merry without him. He sighed. Then he came up with the theory that everyone had seen the bomb go off and they were all mourning and crying for his poor departed soul. Jack smiled at this and stuck his cap in the water, pulling out warm water and tiny fish. Gagging and coughing, he forced it down; he was parched and starving.

A few more hours of sleeping, sweating, and retching, and Jack was ready to drown himself. He took one last look at the horizon. Spotting a smudge, he sat up straighter and squinted. No, it wasn't a smudge; it was land! He pumped his feet wildly, propelling him in the direction of the island.

It was much farther away than it had appeared; Jack was paddling for almost three hours before he finally collapsed, breathless, upon the shore.

"Good ol' white sand! Good ol' palm trees, you! Good ol…" Jack trailed off. "scorch marks! And burnt pieces of wood and bottles!" He picked up some of the blackened debris from the ground surrounding a large, black, circle of sand on the island. He collapsed on the ground in front of them.

He had been here before.

_Twice._


	4. A Dolphin Called Sylvie

Having been on this island twice before (once by himself, and once with Elizabeth) Jack already knew his way around it. He took out his sword and chopped down a few coconuts. He beat them on rocks to open them, then sucked out the sweet juice and ate the insides, moaning with pleasure; he hadn't eaten properly in almost 12 hours.

It was getting dark, so Jack decided that he needed to find a place to bed down for the night. He strolled along the coast until he spotted a small brook. He ran up to it and drank deeply; it was much more refreshing than the awful salt water he had been forced to drink.

Jack went back to where he had arrived and grabbed the wood he had come with. He went back to the stream and began to disassemble the raft, stacking the scorched planks in a pile.

Jack grabbed two sticks and began to rub them together, hoping to produce a fire, but to no avail. Jack scratched the twigs over and over on each other, but finally threw them away in disgust. A small spark appeared where they landed, but went out just as Jack ran up to them to pick up the sticks. Cursing, Jack rubbed them until his arms were too tired, then took out his sword and struck it against a rock, making several sparks, which caught the wood and burned.

Jack surveyed the results. "If I'd just done that, I could've saved meself about half an hour." He kept the fire going with the burnt wood from the burning of the rum barrels.

When it was satisfactory, Jack stuck his hat in the brook, searching for a couple of stray fish. Finding none, he went to the edge of the island and tried again. He captured several squirming ones that he didn't know the name of, but he cooked them over the fire and ate them all the same; the name didn't matter when they were resting in his gut.

Licking his lips, Jack laid down and patted his stomach happily, full. His dread-locked hair spread out behind his head. He slipped into a happy sleep, dreaming of fish, water, explosives, undead monkeys, and Elizabeth.

Jack's eyes fluttered open. It was pitch-black around him and he could hardly see. Jack turned his face up to the sky, wondering what had awakened him. A drop of water plopped on his forehead. Jack wiped it off just as another one fell on his cheek. And one on his arm. And another. And another.

"Bloody rain," Jack muttered as he ran for cover, the rain pouring down heavily. He took shelter under a clump of palm trees, bending over so he wouldn't get wet. He sighed as he attempted to drift into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Looks to be a storm," said Gibbs to Will, who was sitting in his room with his head in his hands. "Should we ready the _Flipper_?"

Will nodded, then shook his head. "Only get her ready if the storm picks up. No reason to awaken the crew otherwise."

"Aye, sir." Gibbs marched off.

Elizabeth stuck her head in Will's room. "Are you okay, Mr. Turner?" she asked timidly. She was worried about her friend; he had said barely a word to her all evening.

"Call me Will, Elizabeth." Will sighed. "No need for formalities now."

Elizabeth nodded and sat next to him on his bed. Neither of them said a word for a long time, until Elizabeth finally chose to break the silence. "I miss him."

Will agreed, but was too depressed to say anything. Will and Elizabeth were the only two that were still terribly upset about the loss of their captain. The crew had voted Will their new captain barely an hour after Jack's "death".

Elizabeth hesitated slightly before hugging Will tightly, letting a single tear fall down her cheek and into his lap. And they both silently vowed that it would be the last one from either of them.

* * *

Jack awoke to the screeching of birds around him. Without opening his eyes, he picked up his sword and slashed the heads off the nearest ones. A single _squawk! _rang out and then the splattering of blood. Jack dropped his sword, sat up, and grabbed the dead birds. He washed off the blood and plucked their feathers. He boiled water in an empty coconut shell over a fire, then tossed in the meat. When all the water evaporated, Jack poured in coconut milk and some weeds he found growing on the side of the brook. He stirred with a stick, then took the bowl of the fire and drank his makeshift soup. It scalded his throat, but he sucked it down anyway; it filled his stomach and made him drowsy.

Jack stripped off the rest of his clothes and took a swim in the ocean. He dried off quickly, got dressed, and ran his fingers through his wet hair. This turned out to not be such a brilliant idea. His fingers got tangled and he could not get them out again. He pulled and finally got them unstuck, wrapped in matted hair.

Jack sat on the edge of the sea, wishing that he had his rum. Although, admittedly, without it, he had done a much better job of "living on the land". It was refreshing to actually have a clear head for once. Still, he maintained his Jack Sparrow Swagger (as he called it), for it was practically his trademark.

Jack pulled his knees up to his chest and heaved a sigh. This, being the third time on this island, was not an unusual experience to Jack. At least the first time he was here he'd had rum. The second time he's had Elizabeth and rum (which was going quite well until Elizabeth turned on him and burnt all the rum).

"Bloody girl," Jack cursed her, remembering, but smiled. He could not stay mad at Elizabeth for long, even if she was still furious with him.

Jack twirled his dreadlocks idly as he thought. He pulled them back and tied them with a strip of cloth. He gazed into the ocean, surveying his new look. He laughed at himself, revealing several gold teeth, and removed the cloth, his long black hair hanging down his shoulders.

Bubbles appeared in the water about a hundred feet from shore. Jack panicked, thought "Kraken!" and instinctively reached for his jar of dirt. Jack remembered two things: 1) He had killed the Kraken a long time ago and 2) he had also smashed his jar of dirt, losing the thump-thump at the same time. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, but still wondered where the bubbles came from.

When no more appeared, Jack rolled his pants up to his knees and waded in the warm Caribbean waters. He felt around for a bit, then swam farther out and looked around there.

Jack was suddenly pulled underwater by a creature's mouth. It dragged him down beneath the waters and wouldn't let go, though Jack thrashed around wildly and kicked it several times in the head. Grabbing a knife from his sash, Jack cut a small line across the animal's back, making it bleed. It opened it's mouth for a split second, just long enough for Jack to release his foot and swim wildly to the surface.

Gulping for air, Jack swam to the shore and ran as far away from it as he could, heart racing. He looked back out at the water, and saw- a _dolphin! _Sure enough, a dolphin was surfacing a hundred feet out with a red cut on its back. It looked playful, and Jack realized that it only had wanted to make friends.

Jack, still a few feet from the water, called out to it, "Dolphin-thingy! Come here? Uncle Jack-y wants to play!" Knife ready, Jack intended to kill the beast and then eat it.

The dolphin, not stupid enough to get too close to the weapon, let out a shrill sound and flipped over. She jumped and spun around, mesmerizing Jack with his tricks, until she was close enough to spin next to Jack and knock the blade out of his hands and into the water.

Jack, surprised, watched as the dolphin seemed to laugh and swim away.

Thinking it was harmless, Jack went back into the sea just far enough to fetch his shiv and hide it against his ribs between the layers of his shirt. The dolphin came up behind the captain and put her nose between his legs, forcing him onto her back.

Jack, unsteady, slid off and grabbed her fin for support. The animal swam around for a little while before heading along the coast of the island, stopping behind a rock a few feet off shore.

"What the devil-" Jack started, before being nudged in the ribs by the dolphin. Jack winced as the blade of his knife cut into his skin, but kept quiet. Once again, there was a smudge in the distance, probably a ship. If it was moving, it was crawling along at a speed that Jack could have matched on foot. If wouldn't be there for another day, at best.

Jack, understanding what the creature was trying to tell him, gave her a gentle pat behind the ears before grabbing hold of her fin and riding back to his camp.

"Thank you…" Jack thought for a moment. "Sylvie." The dolphin let out a high pitched sound in approval and nudged his hand lovingly before swimming off.

Jack stretched out on the sand and basked in the sun. He seriously considered swimming out to the ship, but he knew that a) it would take much too long and b) if they turned out to be enemy ships, they would kill him or take him to Port Royal and take great joy at his hanging. Jack sighed. No, it was best that he watched and wait.


	5. Spotting The Pearl

Pulling his hat low over his eyes, Captain Jack Sparrow got up from sand. He put one hand on his stomach, trying to stop it from growling. Climbing up the sandy beach, he slipped back to his camp. He broke an unopened coconut on a rock and sucked out its sweet juice. He took his shiv and cut out the white insides. He devoured them hungrily, then searched for more to eat.

Heading down to the coast, Jack took his hat off and dipped it into the water. He waited rather impatiently for fifteen minutes before a small fish swam into it. Jack rushed back to build a fire and boiled the fish in an empty coconut shell. When it was done, he wrapped it in a bed of leaves and sprinkled it with sea salt.

"Mighty fine and proper," he remarked, before cramming it down his throat and drooling, choking a bit, then salivating some more. "And good too, eh?" He patted his full belly happily and relaxed, dipping his feet in the cool water of the stream.

Within moments, he was asleep.

_Jack Sparrow was walking along a rocky cliff above the water, but he was slipping. A thick fog surrounded him, but out of it, a woman in white reached out to him. Jack attempted to grasp her hand just as he slipped and fell, her fingers just out of reach. He hung from a branch about half way down and looked up for the mysterious woman. She was getting farther and farther away, and as she left him, the branch broke more. Jack looked down to see what was below him and gasped. It was no longer a river; it was instead a black pit, full of things like **despair, loneliness, **and **sadness. **Jack did not wish to fall down there, but without the woman in white he would not be able to get back up, where the clouds spelled words like **happiness, joy, **and **love. **_

Jack woke up, sweating furiously. He wiped his forehead and took deep breaths to clam himself down. He flipped over onto his side and stared off into the horizon; the woman in white was Elizabeth.

**

* * *

**Will, who had been napping at the moment, bolted upright in bed, Elizabeth's head resting at his side. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. They didn't…they couldn't have…it wasn't possible… he glanced over to the lady at his hip and breathed a sigh of relief. They were above the covers and their clothes were still on. 

Will had had such a strange dream. He didn't remember all of it, but Elizabeth was there and he was walking on a cliff and he was slipping, falling into a horrible pit. Fortunately, he had grabbed onto a branch, but it was breaking more and more with every step Elizabeth took backwards. He was crying and shaking and sweating, and then he woke up just to find that he was crying and screaming and sweating in real life.

He hugged Elizabeth by the shoulders and kissed her forehead. Elizabeth stirred and then woke up. She became alarmed when she found that they were sleeping near each other. "Did…we…?" she stammered.

Will replied that they had not, and Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed back into the pillows.

"I'm hungry," she said simply, and got up. She found some weevil-y biscuits and tapped them on the table, knocking the bugs out. She then bit and chewed it. She made a face; it was hard as rock. Still, she was starving, so she managed to force it down.

Pintel and Ragetti came in, arguing as usual. "No, it was 100Spaniards and 200 muskets and only 1 bottle of rum!" Pintel said.

"No! I'ma' pretty sure tha' it's on'y 20 Spaniards and 20 bombs and a bottle of rum!" Ragetti protested.

"What are you on about?" Elizabeth asked.

"How theSpaniards ambushed us!" Pintel exclaimed.

"Well, tell me the story," Elizabeth said, so they all sat around in a circle and Pintel and Ragetti told the tale.

"Okay, so it was only a few hours after you all left for Tia Dalma's house, right? And we're all sitting around and practicing sword fighting and shooting and guardin' the _Black Pearl-"_ Pintel was cut off.

"No we wasn't. We was drinkin' an' dancin' and comparing out tatoos," at Pintel's glare, Ragetti backed down. "Never mind."

"So anyway," Pintel continued. "We was bein' tough an' strong when we hear a shot rung out way in the distance. So we all go an' look. And then, a whole fleet ofSpaniards ("It was only two small boats of ten each." Ragetti said.) and they was runnin' towards us and firing and throwin' bombs an' we fended them off as best we could, but it was gettin' hard. So someone goes to fetch Jack but they say he's not there. An' we're down to out last bottle of rum on board and that's the only thing we can fire, so we do. It takes out a couple of 'em, but they come up on the boat and try and take her. We were so tired from all our practicing'-"

"You mean too drunk from all our drinkin' " Ragetti muttered under his breath.

Pintel ignored him. "And there were hundreds of them with big guns and bombs and they keep blowing holes through the ship, then they take it. We don' want 'em to, but they do anyways. We got this ship, the _Flipper_, but Captain Jack wanted the _Black Pearl _back, so we were aimin' to find those that stole out boat. Except that the people in Port Royal want to track us down for stealin' the _Flipper_. But mostly, they just wanted Jack, and they got him, so I guess they won't bother us no more. We still want the _Pearl _back, though, so we're going to get her." Pintel took a deep breath.

"Then that's what we'll do," Elizabeth had a look of fierce determination in her eyes.

**

* * *

**Captain Jack Sparrow pulled himself to his feet and made sure his pants were tightly rolled up to above his knees. He swaggered along the sand to the edge of the ocean and waded in. Unsure of what to do, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a long, low whistle and called out, "Sylvie! Sylvie! Where are ye, you dumb fish!" There was no response, so the captain tried a nicer approach. He dipped his hat in the water and pulled out a nice, fat fish. "I got din-din for ye! All I needs is another ride!" 

Jack sighed and threw his hands down in frustration. Within seconds, something wrestled the fish from his grip and nudged Jack's bottom, pushing him onto his back.

"Good ol' Sylvie. Glad ye was here for me, mate!" Jack cried happily, sliding off her back and grabbing hold of her fin.

Once again, the dolphin swam over to the rock that she had led him to before and dropped him off. The ship was scarcely closer than it had been before. Jack moved to head towards it, but Sylvie grabbed the edge of his shirt and held on, trying to restrain him.

"Now, now, love. Captain Jack just wants to have a look-see, see if it's friend or foe, savvy?" Jack gave her an affectionate rub on the head before patting the shiv in his pocket and breast stroked about a hundred feet closer. From where he was now treading water, he could make out the color of the sails and the crew on board.

"Oh Bugger," Jack muttered under his breath.

For the ship he was staring at was none other than the _Black Pearl. _


	6. Trapped

Captain Jack Sparrow wanted to get closer. He wanted to come onto his ship, brandish his swords and his pistols, and reclaim what was rightfully his. He knew that there was no way that he could do that now, with only a small knife and a porpoise for back-up. No, that would never do. Still, it chilled his blood to think that, aboard his ship, a group of Spaniards were hauling sails, drinking his rum, and sleeping in his bunks.

"I'll be damned if I ever let someone apart from me captain my own ship!" Jack roared. He dared himself to get only a little closer, just far enough that he could see what was happening. Jack was caught off guard by a tug on his sleeve. It was Sylvie, warning him not to go any farther. Jack shook her off impatiently and paddled a hundred feet nearer.

"Dumb fish!" Jack muttered, and Sylvie gave a bleat of indignation. Jack winced at the sound and apologized. "Didn't mean it like that, love. I'm sure you're quite smart."

Still, Jack got closer to the _Pearl. _It was still many miles out, he saw, and knew that he could never get that far out without a boat and oars. Jack thought it over. He could do the responsible thing, which was to go back to his camp, wait, and build a signal fire. Or he could rush back to the shore just long enough to create a makeshift raft and face the thieves head on.

Now, if you know Jack Sparrow at all, you know which path he decided to take. Within the hour, he was ripping up his extra clothes and smearing a sticky sort of sap he found on the ground to secure loose pieces of driftwood together. Jack admired his handiwork and topped it off with two flat-headed sticks as paddles. He took off what was left of his shirt and wrapped it around two pieces of boiled bird and a some coconut meat. He filled a flask with fresh water (so he wouldn't be forced to gag on the salty stuff in the ocean) and began to push everything into the water. With a running start, he landed on it and began to paddle.

* * *

"Enemy ship, sir." One of the crew informed Will. "Shall we run up the black sails and take her?" He had a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"As you wish," Will replied briskly, and the young man to whom he was talking to rushed off to prepare the guns.

Will turned on his heel and went out to the main deck. Every one as getting ready for a fight. "Come up on her right side and give her hell until she surrenders!" He turned to the senior gunmen. "Give her a wide left and a wide right and if she's not handing herself over by then, give her one near the masts and then minimal damage till she's ours!"

"Aye!" the senior gunman replied. "Take her if we can; sink her if we must!" This brought cheers from the rest of the crew.

The man at the wheel turned the _Flipper _around and steered her toward the other ship. They got just within firing range and sent off a cannon to the left of the other ship. It didn't give up, but instead sent a 9-pounder into the _Flipper's _side.

The enraged pirates forgot all orders and instead sent round after round of 18 -pounders at the enemy. When the captain on the other side finally surrendered, removing his flags and offering his swords, everyone on the _Pearl _hooted with happiness.

Will commanded the _Flipper _to pull in next to the battered ship. When they were close enough, they sent out the hooks and boarded the vessel and got a nasty surprise. The man giving up his swords to Will turned out not to be the captain. The real captain was lurking in the shadows of the ship with about 100 members of the crew. They screamed and hurried out, brandishing their swords and pistols.

Taken off guard, the pirates of the _Flipper _were not ready for battle. They fumbled with their weapons, but two men were already dead before they others were locked in combat.

Will dueled fiercely with the captain- the _real _captain- on the main deck, in the middle of all the confusion. The captain took a swipe at Will's stomach. Fortunately, Will managed to spin out of the way so that the cutlass didn't make contact with him. _Unfortunately, _it stabbed the person behind him, who gave out a single gasp of pain and crumpled to the ground, bleeding profusely. Will came up behind the man in charge and attacked him. When they realized that they were evenly matched, Will used a trick he had learned from Jack: he pulled out his gun and trained it on the man in front of him. The captain surrendered, letting his pistols and swords clatter to the ground and smirked at Will.

"Put that away, boy. You don't know how to use it," he sneered. Will closed his eyes and was about to pull the trigger when a bullet flew through the air and lodged itself through the enemy's chest. The wounded pirate fell to his knees, gaping at the bloody hole, and finally managed to squeak out a swear word or two before the light left his eyes and he was dead.

"Good work," Will turned to compliment the person who had saved him, but saw no one except for the half-dead crewmember on the ground behind him. Will looked closely at the body and saw that it was holding a gun. Will let out a gasp of surprise and shock as he looked down. With the hat coming off his rescuer, he could see a mass of sandy brown hair escaping and falling down their shoulders.

* * *

"Only a little bit more," Jack told himself as he paddled out to the sea towards the _Black Pearl. _He had passed the rock ages ago, where Sylvie had left him, deciding to stay back. Jack had shrugged, but now wished that he had pushed her a little more to come with him; he could've used the company. Now all he had to do was sing and whistle and hope that he would reach his ship soon.

"_Ship boy so lonely, away from all held dear_

_Now ye must gaze at the water, all calm and clear_

_For he knows that his love is forever the sea_

_If he could stay there forever, how happy he'd be"_

Jack paused and gazed out in front of him. He still had many miles to go before he would reach his beloved _Pearl._ he cleared his throat and launched into another verse of _Ship boy's Heartsong_:

"_He slacked off his duties, for he didn't care. _

_He was to the sea as a bird was to the air._

_His officer intended to punish him badly._

_But his heart softened when the ship boy looked at him sadly."_

Jack went on to the chorus:

"_Ship boy, with your heart so dear!_

_Dance along for many a year!_

_Oh! Oh! At home in the sea!_

_Ship boy! Oh Ship boy! Your soul is with thee!"_

Jack, glad that no one could hear him sing, started to rock mournfully with the raft as he called out:

"_He wants to dance and swim with the fishes!_

_These are the ship boys' fondest last wishes!_

_And so the merciful captain took out his shiv._

_And said 'You were a good lad, but no longer shall you live.' "_

Tears cam to Jack's kohl-lined eyes as he finished song:

"_The captain plunged his knife into the ship boy._

_The ship boy saw what he was doing and was full of joy._

_They bound the dead body and threw it to the ocean floor._

_And the poor ship boy shall lie in the ocean forever more"_

Jack wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Even when he was a young boy, this was the only song that would make his cold, hard pirate heart melt. Singing had passed the time well; the pirate captain was nearing his ship and was only a couple of miles off, by the looks of things.

He traveled in silence for a little while, stopping only to eat his bird meat and scarf down some coconut. As the sun slipped below the horizon, Jack was only a few hundred yards from the massive ship. He could see the dark-skinned pirates aboard, climbing in the rig, drinking, and gambling.

_They'll never notice a small raft out here in the darkness, _Jack thought, but was tragically mistaken.

"El enemigo abajo," he heard one of them say.

"El sir, señor." Another Spaniard replied curtly. Jack brought his boat closer to the _Pearl _and tied it up with a stray piece of cloth from his lunch rag. He then proceeded to scale the side and throw himself over the and onto the main deck.

A bright light flashed in his face, illuminating the red scarves around the neck of the Spanish pirates, and before Captain Jack was aware of what was happening, a net was thrown over him, shackles bound his hands behind his back, and Jack Sparrow was trapped.


	7. Interrogating the Sparrow

Without their captain, the pirates that the crew of the _Flipper _were fighting surrendered easily. They threw down their weapons in defeat, and Gibbs was sent to scope out any more enemies that still wished to fight. Finding none, Will's crew gathered the weapons from the ground and tossed them to their ship.

"Should we take her, sir?" one of the pirates asked, referring to the ship. Getting no answer, he turned to Gibbs and repeated the question.

"Nay. She's got too much damage." Gibbs said, then looked at Will, clutching the body of a fast-dying crew member.

Will, thinking there was no pulse, was lost, too shocked to cry. _If only I hadn't moved, _he thought sadly. _Elizabeth would still be here._ He bent down to give her one last kiss and put his hand on her neck, leaning in. He pulled back suddenly; he felt a heartbeat!

"Hurry! Give her highest medical care! If we lose her, it's your heads!" He cried to the nearest crew members, who took Elizabeth from Will's arms and rushed her aboard the _Flipper._ They stripped her down, cleaned her wounds, and stitched them up. They laid her down in a bed of white sheets, then lifted her head, parted their lips, and forced spirits down her throat. The color returned to her cheeks slightly, but she was still unconscious.

After making sure all the prisoners were successfully locked in the brig, Will anxiously checked on Elizabeth. As soon as the doctor came out, Will grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "How is Elizabeth? Is she alright?"

The doctor looked grim as he delivered the news, and for a second, Will feared that his beloved had passed on. "She's still alive, if that's what you're on about," the doctor said, and Will relaxed. "Unfortunately, she's lost a lot of blood and is paler then a ghost, she is. If she gets infected, then she's gone. If she's lost too much blood, then she's gone. If she gets sick at all, even the tiniest bit, she's gone, sir."

"Aye," Will answered sadly, then went into the small room. He knelt beside his ex-fiancé's bed and grasped her hand tightly in his, brought it to his lips, and brought it back down after he had kissed it gently. It was frail and limp and Will could not bare to see Elizabeth this way.

Will cleared his throat as he spoke to her, wishing her to hear it even she was possibly on her deathbed. "It's my fault you're here and I'm sorry. If I hadn't been such a coward then you wouldn't be here, half-dead. I still love you even if you don't love me and I just want to let you know, as I have told you a thousand times before, I love you. I am sorry if you still don't wish to be my wife." He took a last, long look at the girl on the bed before he turned and closed the door silently.

* * *

Captain Jack Sparrow sat alone in the brig of his own ship, humiliated. His legs crossed and his head down, he refused to cooperate. The Spaniards offered him his freedom if he spoke of what he was doing, where he had come from, and any information that might be useful to them. 

They were using one of the sailors on board that spoke English to interrogate Jack. When they found that they weren't getting any answers, the captain slapped the sailor and began to shout at Jack in Spanish.

"¿_Por qué el diablo no dará nos usted ninguna respuesta¡ Tratamos de ser civil pero obtiene duramente¡ Si usted no hablará entonces caeremos el tirón usted o le azota hasta que usted sea sangriento por todas partes o le cuelga¡ Hable con nosotros_!" His face was getting red and flecks of spit flew in Jack's face.

Jack took this as a threat and kept his lips tightly closed. The captain barked orders at one of the younger boys, who unlocked the brig, grabbed Jack by the pants (Jack wasn't wearing a shirt) and threw him roughly on the ground.

"_¡Traiga el látigo!_" the captain exclaimed, and in moments he was presented with a whip. He raised it high in the air and brought it down to the ground, aiming for Jack's back. Jack, however, had rolled over just in time and grabbed it. The captain, thinking quickly, stomped between Jack's legs.

"Bloody hell, that'll away come back to haunt me!" Jack winced, let go, then was flipped on his back to receive his lashes. The skin was ripped cruelly from his spine, but still Jack Sparrow held back his tears.

"So…" Jack was pulled rudely to his feet and the captain pushed his face close to his as he spoke in very poor English, thick with a Spanish accent. "You talk or I kill."

Jack, pretending to admit defeat, slumped to the ground and offered his wrists to the captain. A slow smirk spread across the Spaniard's face as he ordered. "_Sígame, el Gorrión de capitán Jack_." He turned on his heel and left.

Jack pulled himself to his feet and followed the man into a small room. Jack was pushed into a small wooden chair and bound by thick coils of rope to the legs of it. The seaman that knew English (whose name Jack found out was Perizon) was standing next to the Spanish captain (Captain Atroz), ready to translate anything either of the two men said.

"_¿Qué le trae a mi barco?_" Captain Atroz said to Perizaon, who turned to Jack and asked, "What brings you to my ship?"

"I believe you mean _my_ ship," Jack replied, which Perizon translated into "_Creo que usted significa mi barco_."

"_Ha!_" roared Captain Atroz. Perizaon turned to Jack and said, "Ha!"

"_¿En qué es usted acerca de¡Este barco pertenece a mí y a mi tripulación!_" The Captain continued. (What are you on about? This ship belongs to me and my crew!)

"Hardly! You stole it from me and my crew while the captain was away! The captain being me, you lowly little-" Jack's temple flared.

After it was translated, the captain eyes narrowed and he responded (In Spanish, but Perizon told Jack what it was in English) that a good captain never leaves his ship and that it was Jack's fault and he should have been a better leader and so on and so forth. And all the while Jack had his shiv in his hand and was sawing at the ropes that held him captive. He broke free in the middle of the other captain's monologue and stood up.

Jack Sparrow grabbed the guard nearest him and kneed him in the stomach. The unlucky Spaniard keeled over and held his abdomen as the others attacked Jack. He grabbed a sword and pistols from the fallen pirate and proceeded to duel with his captors. He took two of them out successfully before he was finally clubbed on the head with the butt of a cutlass by Perizon. Jack's eyes rolled up in his head as he collapsed.

* * *

Will was pacing the main deck anxiously as the lookout swung down from the crow's nest and informed him that there was a smear on the horizon, either ship or land. Will nodded and replied, "Full sails. If it's land then we can make port, if it's enemy ship, we can attack, clear?" 

"Aye, sir," the lookout said and went to give the orders to Gibbs, who would then repeat it to the crew. Will resumed his pacing as he looked out to sea.

Once again, he went to visit Elizabeth, but once again he was disappointed. She was doing better, if not by much, but her cheeks were still pale and her breathing still shallow. Will whispered encouraging words to her whenever he could, and when he couldn't, he cursed himself for not being able to. He also thought bitterly that just when he thought he had had a chance with her again (Jack being gone and all), she almost died.

Hours later, after food was eaten and drinks drunk, the _Flipper _pulled up close enough to examine the ship that they had spotted from afar. "By God!" the lookout called from above.

"What is it?" Will inquired.

"Why, sir, it's the _Black Pearl! _And they've got Jack in cuffs!"


	8. Sunset on the Horizon

Will's heart was crushed. It had been going so well (apart from Elizabeth being stabbed, almost bleeding to death, staying unconscious, and all) and now it was all going to be ruined!

"Are you sure?" Will asked the lookout in alarm. "Are you sure that you saw the _Pearl _and Jack?"

"Aye," the lookout replied. "I wouldn't lie upon it, sir. They've got him unconscious by the looks of it and are dragging him across the deck."

"Did I hear, right?" one of the men on the deck of the _Flipper _asked incredulously. "Jack's alive and on the _Black Pearl_?" He rushed off to inform the others, who cheered happily and pushed the _Flipper _forward faster, cutting through the water quickly.

Will, with one last shred of hope, went to see Elizabeth again. He thought that maybe if he told her that the captain was back, she would grow happier and stronger and healthier.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Jack is alive! We saw him on board the _Pearl_, a captive to the Spaniards, but he is not dead; he didn't explode with the boat you saw!" Will put a false glee in his voice. The lady in front of him didn't stir. Will sighed and got up, heading for the door. As his hand was on the doorknob, Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open slightly.

She called out in a weak voice, "Will…"

Will, thinking he was dreaming, turned around, but Elizabeth's eyes had closed again. Will rushed to her side and pleaded. "Are you awake, Elizabeth? Answer me, please."

"Jack…alive?" she sounded slightly hopeful as she opened her eyes halfway. Will grabbed her hand and told her that it was true and watched as a small smile played on her lips. "Here…?"

Will answered that Jack was still aboard the old ship, and watched as Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed. She was asleep again soon, and Will got up quietly and left.

They reached the _Pearl_ by noon the next day. The pirates of the _Flipper _were getting ready for a big fight on board, but were told not to damage the old ship in any way. They agreed and strapped their swords and pistols to their waists as they dove into the water. They surfaced next to the _Pearl_, Will in the lead, and scaled the side.

The Spaniards, realizing what they were doing, began to shoot wildly at the men. Some of them fell to the ocean, but most got over onto the _Pearl _and prepared for battle with the enemy. Will left the men and headed down to the brigs to find Jack. It was empty, though, except for a bench and a thin hay mattress. Upon not seeing him there, Will became confused, until a voice behind him called out, "Wondering when you'd get here, mate."

Will turned to see the captain he thought was long dead. They embraced for a moment before they headed to the main decks to fight. Captain Atroz wasted no time in challenging Jack to a duel. Jack, too busy to waste time with rules, pulled out his gun and shot him in each of the legs, not enough to kill him , but enough to immobilize him. The Spanish Captain swore angrily as he tried to swipe at Jack from the ground, but only caught his ankles.

Several crew members attacked Jack and Will, attempting to avenge the Captain's wounds. Swords and guns went flying around the ship, followed closely by severed limbs. Men from both sides were falling on the ground, dead. Captain Atroz, with both of his legs useless, did not last very long before he was caught in the crossfire and killed. It was a gruesome battle, and at the end of it, the decks were crimson with blood and Jack and Will stood in the middle, back to back, brandishing their weapons and surveying the surrendered ship.

The putrid smells of death lingered around the ship as Jack's crew -the rightful crew of the _Black Pearl_- shoveled away the remains of the dead and dropped them unceremoniously into the water; they would hold a general wake later. The Spanish prisoners were taken on as crew along with the prisoners of the previous capture. They worked hard into the afternoon, scrubbing the decks so as to rid it of the gore.

Elizabeth was dressed in a white dress and moved into a room on the _Black Pearl _so that she could have some privacy. After the ship was cleaned, Jack came to visit her. He knocked lightly on the door and let himself in. Elizabeth rolled over to face him and opened her eyes slightly. Her whole face brightened when she saw who it was and tried to sit up. However, the pain in her side was immense and she had to lay back down.

"Jack…" she said quietly and held out her hand, which was taken by the man in question. "Thought…you were…dead…"

"And yet, here I am love," Jack said. "I'm sorry about what happened. It was awfully stupid of me, I admit. You want to know what happened after the boat exploded on me, eh?" Elizabeth nodded and Jack proceeded to tell her about how he had gone to the island and befriended a dolphin and was captured by the Spaniards. All the while Elizabeth listened and her eyes went wide and she grabbed his hand tighter. And when Jack finally got up to leave, all was forgiven.

"Jack," Elizabeth called out. "Eat dinner…with me."

Jack nodded and left. Elizabeth managed to pull herself up enough to reach under her pillow and extract the two rings. Jack returned with two plates of biscuits and horse meat.

"Jack…" Elizabeth called quickly. "Water." Jack obliged and left the room again. Elizabeth seized her chance and grabbed Jack's biscuit. She tapped it on the bedside table to let the weevils fall out and stuffed one of the rings inside it. She put the biscuit back just as Jack came back into the room with a tin cup of water. Elizabeth propped up on her pillows (not too high, for if she did, her wound would open on itself and bleed her to death) and sipped the drink, waiting for Jack to pull out the ring and accept the marriage proposal she was ready to give.

Jack, however, simply scarfed down the tough meat, then tapped his biscuit to rid it of any remaining bugs, and stuffed it down his throat.

Elizabeth, realizing in alarm that Jack's plate was clean and he had not pulled out the ring, thought: _Good Lord, he's swallowed it! _Elizabeth buried her face in her hands hopelessly, losing her appetite. The captain stroked her hair, unaware of what had made her so upset, then left her alone to brood.

Jack, actually, had not eaten the ring, as Elizabeth thought. It had fallen out when he tapped the beetles out of his hard biscuit and he had pocketed it quickly, unsure of how to tell Elizabeth that he couldn't marry her. The reason was simply this: Jack Sparrow could not be tied down to just one girl; he needed room to spread out and try many different women.

Jack felt that he needed to tell Elizabeth why they couldn't be together, so he entered her room again and said softly, "Elizabeth, we need to talk." Elizabeth nodded and Jack went on, "Can I carry you to the edge of the ship? We'll be alone." Elizabeth nodded again so Jack lifted her up, carried her to the edge of the deck, and placed her in a reclined chair.

Jack put a hand on her leg and took a deep breath. "We need to discuss that ring you tried to choke me with, love."

Elizabeth smiled slightly, but went on in a weak voice. "You know…not like that…" She caught her breath slightly and said her first real sentence since her accident. "Will you marry me?" She looked up into his dark brown eyes.

Jack Sparrow's heart melted upon seeing the hopeful face of this beautiful woman in front of him staring up at him, even though she was still dreadfully near death. Jack couldn't help but feel partly responsible for her condition; if he had swum back to the ship when he had a chance; if he had been there, she wouldn't have been hurt. He would have had enough sense to send someone to the ship of her accident first to comb the place and make sure no tricks were being set up. Because he wasn't there, Elizabeth had almost bled to death in the arms of a foolish Will who hadn't had enough sense to check for a breath or a pulse until it was almost too late- until she was almost gone.

Jack knew that if he and Elizabeth stayed together, it would be worse for the both of them. The enemies of the captain would try to hurt all those dear to him in an attempt to bring him to his knees; he certainly would not put it past the officials of Port Royal. If Elizabeth was _ever _harmed again, Jack would never forgive himself for it.

Jack looked back at the girl in front of him, grasped her frail hands in his, and leaned in. Their lips met for a single second before Jack pulled away, looked into her eyes and whispered clearly, "No."

He turned away from her and got up, swaggering away, hoping that she would see his reasons and that she wouldn't hate him. Maybe she'd even go off with Will and be safe. Jack's heart twinged a bit as he thought of the two together, holding hands and kissing. It had been awful to bear before Jack loved Elizabeth, and he knew that it would be excruciating if he was forced to watch it again.

Will had been standing in the shadows of the ship, listening and watching the scene. He then stepped out to comfort a heartbroken and surprised Elizabeth, who was clutching the ring that Jack had slipped back into her hand as they kissed. Her chair was turned towards the sea, giving her a view of the twilight. Will stood next to her and slipped his arm around her,offering her solace and companionship. Not a single word was exchanged between the two as they stared at the ocean, admiring the haunting beauty of the sunset.

**_Fin _**

**_(for now)_**


End file.
